Live Music
Archive
Librivox
Free Audio
Metropolitan Museum
Cleveland
Museum of Art
Internet
Arcade
Console Living Room
Open Library
American
Libraries
TV News
Understanding
9/11
- Usage
- Attribution 3.0
When the curtains rise... Understanding Goa's vibrant Konkani
theatre
André Rafael Fernandes, Ph.D
Published with financial support from the Tiatr Academy of
Goa (TAG)
ISBN 978-93-80739-01-4
Price: Rs. 195 in India. Hardbound.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Called one of the most vibrant forms of modern Indian theatre, the tiatr strikes a deep chord with its audiences.
What are its origins? How did it get its legacy of music and song? What role did the city of Bombay play in promoting the tiatr? Who pioneered this drama form? What challenges does it now face? These are some of the issues are tackled in this book.
Based on a Ph.D. thesis, this work traces the growth of the tiatr (or tiatro) right from its diverse, sometimes overlooked, origins. It unearths references to the earliest Portuguese plays in Goa. It helps understand theatre in Goa, the region's culture history, and the role of diaspora communities in keeping the Konkani language vibrant.
The book contains some rare illustrations. For instance, the front cover illustration depicts a handbill for the 1904 performance of Batcara. List of characters confirms the early participation of women in the tiatr, at a time when this was not prevalent in other Indian theatre forms. Also on front cover, a handbill of Batcara, staged in 1915 for the Women's War Relief Fund in World War I days. Back cover shows a partial facsimile of a book by Pai Tiatrist João Agostinho Fernandes.
The printing costs of the book have been fully sponsored by the young Tiatr Academy of Goa, under its scheme to publish books related to the tiatr. It has been priced reasonably, to make it widely available and easily affordable.
It focuses on the origins of the tiatr, Goa's legacy of music and song, the beginnings of the Konkani tiatr, Pai Tiatrist, other tiatrists, challenges being faced by the tiatr today, new aspects of the tiatr, and an elaborate selected bibliography (of primary sources, books, newspapers, magazines, multimedia and websites).
Though the book was initially written as a PhD thesis, its style is simple and down-to-earth, making it suitable for a wide range of readers.
One pathbreaking aspect of the book is as follows: The author has released this book under a Creative Commons 3.0, attribution, non-commercial license. What this means is that anyone can make copies of this work for non-commercial purposes, and share the same by way of photocopies or through digital copies on the Net. This is a notable step taken by the author to make his work on the tiatr sharable aand accessible to the widest possible segment.
COMMENTS ON THE BOOK
When the curtains rise: Understanding Goa's vibrant Konkani theatre, written by Dr. André Rafael Fernandes. In fact, this was the thesis written by Dr. Fernandes for his doctorate. For the TAG, it is a matter of pride that Dr. Fernandes obtained his Ph.D. on a subject -- the Goan tiatr -- which is the most popular dramatic form of Goa. The Goan tiatr has progressed in all aspects during the last 118 years. Year after year, its popularity too has reached greater heights. Yet, upto now, there has been no authentic documentation on the tiatr. This vacuum is being filled with the publication of this book. -- Tomazinho Cardozo, President, Tiatr Academy of Goa.
ABOUT THE TIATR
Down the decades, hundreds of tiatrists have kept audiences enthralled for thousands of performances in Goa, Bombay (Mumbai) and elsewhere. Just one figure that gives you a hint of how popular this form of the Konkani stage is: on any given weekend during the theatrical season, at least ten shows are held in various parts of Goa.
Tiatrs incidentally entertain not just local audiences, but in recent times also perform for the benefit of Goan emigrants elsewhere in India, the Middle East, London and Toronto.
For some time now, the general impression has been that this dramatic form began in 1892 in Bombay. But, this text traces the tiatr's genesis to the traditional zagors and khells, which in turn evolved over several centuries from other ancient performances.
In this work, we give due credit and highlight the contribution of João Agostinho Fernandes, rightly regarded as Pai Tiatrist (a title bestowed on him, which could be interpreted to mean the 'Father of the Tiatr') for his pioneering role in this genre of a still-vibrant Konkani stage. Several of his major plays are analysed and their impact assessed.
João Agostinho comes across as not just an excellent ground-breaking playwright, but also a forceful votary of social reform. One can notice the innovative documentation of João Agostinh's manuscripts, handbills, brochures, news clippings, reviews and related items in his collection. He is, obviously, a role model for tiatrists of all times.
While justice cannot be done to all the generations of tiatrists in just a single book, an attempt is made to briefly analyse the published plays of nine other playwrights. These are: Aleixinho de Candolim, A. R. Souza Ferrão, Kid Boxer, J. P. Souzalin, C. Alvares, Remmie J. Colaco, John Claro Fernandes, Prem Kumar and M. Boyer. Towards the end of this book, there is a list of tiatr personalities (tiatrists, musicians, stage managers, set designers and others involved in the production of tiatr).
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Andre Rafael Fernandes is associate professor at Goa University's Department of English. He holds a PhD, an M.Phil, and M.A., B.Ed and B.Com (Hons) degrees. Originally from Raia, Salcete, he studied and researched in Darjeeling, Shillong and Portugal.
Fernandes has taught for 33 years, including for the last two decades at the Goa University. Courses he taught include: the Novel, Commonwealth literature, Linguistics, Indian writing in translation, and Joseph Conrad. He introduced audio-visual material for teaching linguistics, and helped build GU's advanced language laboratory.
Dr Fernandes has attended 30 regional, 18 national and five international conferences, seminars or workshops. He was part of the research project "Portuguese Language in Goa: Phonetic Study and New Technologies in Teaching", with teachers from the University of Porto in Portugal, after being awarded a research fellowship which also took him to the universities of Aveiro, Coimbra and Lisbon.
Contact Dr Fernandes via mobile 98 23 38 56 38 or landline 2225110 or rafael.ferns@gmail.com
Notes
When the curtains rise... Understanding Goa's vibrant Konkani
theatre
André Rafael Fernandes, Ph.D
Published with financial support from the Tiatr Academy of
Goa (TAG)
ISBN 978-93-80739-01-4
Price: Rs. 195 in India. Hardbound.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Called one of the most vibrant forms of modern Indian theatre, the tiatr strikes a deep chord with its audiences.
What are its origins? How did it get its legacy of music and song? What role did the city of Bombay play in promoting the tiatr? Who pioneered this drama form? What challenges does it now face? These are some of the issues are tackled in this book.
Based on a Ph.D. thesis, this work traces the growth of the tiatr (or tiatro) right from its diverse, sometimes overlooked, origins. It unearths references to the earliest Portuguese plays in Goa. It helps understand theatre in Goa, the region's culture history, and the role of diaspora communities in keeping the Konkani language vibrant.
The book contains some rare illustrations. For instance, the front cover illustration depicts a handbill for the 1904 performance of Batcara. List of characters confirms the early participation of women in the tiatr, at a time when this was not prevalent in other Indian theatre forms. Also on front cover, a handbill of Batcara, staged in 1915 for the Women's War Relief Fund in World War I days. Back cover shows a partial facsimile of a book by Pai Tiatrist João Agostinho Fernandes.
The printing costs of the book have been fully sponsored by the young Tiatr Academy of Goa, under its scheme to publish books related to the tiatr. It has been priced reasonably, to make it widely available and easily affordable.
It focuses on the origins of the tiatr, Goa's legacy of music and song, the beginnings of the Konkani tiatr, Pai Tiatrist, other tiatrists, challenges being faced by the tiatr today, new aspects of the tiatr, and an elaborate selected bibliography (of primary sources, books, newspapers, magazines, multimedia and websites).
Though the book was initially written as a PhD thesis, its style is simple and down-to-earth, making it suitable for a wide range of readers.
One pathbreaking aspect of the book is as follows: The author has released this book under a Creative Commons 3.0, attribution, non-commercial license. What this means is that anyone can make copies of this work for non-commercial purposes, and share the same by way of photocopies or through digital copies on the Net. This is a notable step taken by the author to make his work on the tiatr sharable aand accessible to the widest possible segment.
COMMENTS ON THE BOOK
When the curtains rise: Understanding Goa's vibrant Konkani theatre, written by Dr. André Rafael Fernandes. In fact, this was the thesis written by Dr. Fernandes for his doctorate. For the TAG, it is a matter of pride that Dr. Fernandes obtained his Ph.D. on a subject -- the Goan tiatr -- which is the most popular dramatic form of Goa. The Goan tiatr has progressed in all aspects during the last 118 years. Year after year, its popularity too has reached greater heights. Yet, upto now, there has been no authentic documentation on the tiatr. This vacuum is being filled with the publication of this book. -- Tomazinho Cardozo, President, Tiatr Academy of Goa.
ABOUT THE TIATR
Down the decades, hundreds of tiatrists have kept audiences enthralled for thousands of performances in Goa, Bombay (Mumbai) and elsewhere. Just one figure that gives you a hint of how popular this form of the Konkani stage is: on any given weekend during the theatrical season, at least ten shows are held in various parts of Goa.
Tiatrs incidentally entertain not just local audiences, but in recent times also perform for the benefit of Goan emigrants elsewhere in India, the Middle East, London and Toronto.
For some time now, the general impression has been that this dramatic form began in 1892 in Bombay. But, this text traces the tiatr's genesis to the traditional zagors and khells, which in turn evolved over several centuries from other ancient performances.
In this work, we give due credit and highlight the contribution of João Agostinho Fernandes, rightly regarded as Pai Tiatrist (a title bestowed on him, which could be interpreted to mean the 'Father of the Tiatr') for his pioneering role in this genre of a still-vibrant Konkani stage. Several of his major plays are analysed and their impact assessed.
João Agostinho comes across as not just an excellent ground-breaking playwright, but also a forceful votary of social reform. One can notice the innovative documentation of João Agostinh's manuscripts, handbills, brochures, news clippings, reviews and related items in his collection. He is, obviously, a role model for tiatrists of all times.
While justice cannot be done to all the generations of tiatrists in just a single book, an attempt is made to briefly analyse the published plays of nine other playwrights. These are: Aleixinho de Candolim, A. R. Souza Ferrão, Kid Boxer, J. P. Souzalin, C. Alvares, Remmie J. Colaco, John Claro Fernandes, Prem Kumar and M. Boyer. Towards the end of this book, there is a list of tiatr personalities (tiatrists, musicians, stage managers, set designers and others involved in the production of tiatr).
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Andre Rafael Fernandes is associate professor at Goa University's Department of English. He holds a PhD, an M.Phil, and M.A., B.Ed and B.Com (Hons) degrees. Originally from Raia, Salcete, he studied and researched in Darjeeling, Shillong and Portugal.
Fernandes has taught for 33 years, including for the last two decades at the Goa University. Courses he taught include: the Novel, Commonwealth literature, Linguistics, Indian writing in translation, and Joseph Conrad. He introduced audio-visual material for teaching linguistics, and helped build GU's advanced language laboratory.
Dr Fernandes has attended 30 regional, 18 national and five international conferences, seminars or workshops. He was part of the research project "Portuguese Language in Goa: Phonetic Study and New Technologies in Teaching", with teachers from the University of Porto in Portugal, after being awarded a research fellowship which also took him to the universities of Aveiro, Coimbra and Lisbon.
Contact Dr Fernandes via mobile 98 23 38 56 38 or landline 2225110 or rafael.ferns@gmail.com
Reviews
7,564 Views
5 Favorites
IN COLLECTIONS
The Goa,1556 Shared Content Collection
Uploaded by fredericknoronha on
